‘Our Interest’s on the dangerous edge of things’: this phrase of the British novelist Graham Green came to mind the first time I played with Yuri and Mauro in 2008. It expresses that sense of vertigo which comes from making music without clinging to old, outworn paths but instead, reaching out to find a common, profoundly meaningful sound.

Sometimes, I am surprised, how well literary allusions are applicable to musical encounters and experiences. The same applies to the numerous remembrances of the poetry of Rilke which filled my thoughts these past months, as I prepared for this recording. There is a humble dedication to him in this work. In particular, the lyric, ‘Die Irren’ – the Madmen – recounts those nocturnal moments when their still faces appear at the windows of their prison and everything is in balance for a time: The garden, often distorted, is now soothed and grows to the pulsations of unknown worlds.

In other words: I think of music, this music, as something which brings a sense of meaning and harmony to my life. Far from being a useless ornament, it is an accomplishment– heralding the season of laughter and taking flight.